Environmental Engineering and Reactor Technology

1
Environmental Engineering and Reactor Technology

• The two former groups Separation and
  Environmental Technology
• and Reactor Technology were merged in 2008.
• The merge was motivated by similar research and
  teaching activities with respect to environmental
  engineering issues, especially in gas separation
  and capture of carbon dioxide.
• 32 PhD students and 10 postdocs/researchers

2

• Environmental Engineering and reactor technology

Teachers and Supervisors
May-Britt Hägg
Hallvard Svendsen
Hugo Jakobsen
Jens-Petter Andreassen
D. Malthe-Sørenssen
Magne Hillestad
Tom-Nils Nilsen
Jon Samseth
3
Research Activities and Teaching

• Reactor technology (Jakobsen/Svendsen) Reactor
  design and understanding of the interplay between
  fluid flow, transport phenomena, reaction
  kinetics/equilibrium, thermodynamics, and
  interfacial transport phenomena/equilibrium in
  multicomponent multiphase mixtures.
• TKP4160 Transport Phenomena 7. term (Jakobsen and
  Svendsen)
• TKP4145 Reactor Technology 8. term (Jakobsen)
• Specialization modules (9. term) TKP 12 Reactor
  Modeling
• Process Design (Hillestad) Understanding and
  simulation of an overall process (Syngas
  production, Methanol and ammonia, FT
  technologies, Polyolefin, CO2 capture)
• TKP4165 Process Design, mandatory 6th term
  (Hillestad)
• TKP4170/71 Process Design Projects, mandatory 7th
  or 8th term (Hillestad)
• Specialization module TKP9 Advanced process
  simulation (Hillestad/Preizig)
• Membrane technology (Hägg) The understanding of
  how membranes can be used for gas and liquid
  separation transport phenomena and materials
  technology. Manufacture and material development
  of new membranes.
• Specialization module TKP14 Membrane separation
  and adsorption (Hägg)

4
Research Activities and Teaching

• Crystallization and Particle Design (Andreassen)
  The formation of unwanted or desired crystalline
  products (nanoparticles, pharmaceutical products
  and impurity removal/scaling) separation and
  development of new materials.
• TKP4190 Fabrication and Application of
  Nanomaterials (Andreassen, Glomm)
• Specialization module TKP15 Crystallization and
  particle design
• CO2-Capture (Svendsen and Hägg, Hillestad,
  Jakobsen, Andreassen) Capture of CO2 by
  absorption (small and large scale), by membrane
  separation, with simultaneoues crystallization
  analyzed by rector modelling and process design
• Specialization moduleTKP13 Gas purification
  (Hägg/Svendsen)

5
Reactor Technology
Transport Phenomena provide fundamental modeling
principles with universal applicability!

• Topics of reseach/projects
• Reactor modeling and analysis
• Sorption Enhanced Steam Methane Reforming,
• Chemical Looping Reforming, Chemical Looping
  Combustion, etc
• Interfacial transport (bubble/droplet
  coalescence/breakage)

Reactor analysis and design
Modeling Methodology Problem analysis (physical
understanding of the problem) Modeling
(mathematical representation of these
physics) Numerical solution methods
Implementation (programming) Parallelization
(more programming) Supercomputing (expensive
computer) Model validation (everything correct
and physical?) Simulation/analysis (back to the
learning outcome?)
Gas cleaning
Transport Phenomena
Oil and gas transport
Process control
Weather forecast
Acid rain
climate
6
Process Design

• Project / Master topics
• The effect of operational parameters in a
  methanol plant
• Reduce CO2 and NOx emissions from offshore oil
  and gas platforms (reserved)
• Systematic Staging in Chemical Reactor Design
• Dynamic modelling and simulation of a CO2 capture
  plant
• Modelling and optimization of a Gas-to-Liquid
  plant
• Topic given by StatoilHydro (Excursion to
  Snøhvit)
• Process Technologies
• Syngas production
• Methanol and ammonia
• FT technologies
• Polyolefin
• CO2 capture

7
Membrane research

• Purification of (CO2, VOC, SF6..) and up-grading
  of natural gas.
• 2 Renewable energy (H2, oppgrading biogas)
• Purification of aggressive gases (Cl2, HCl, SO2)
• Simulation of environmental membrane processes
  for energy optimization
• Membranes in bioprosesser (biodiesel, bioethanol)
• Membran hollow fibre spinning

• Research Focus
• MATERIAL DEVELOPMENT TRANSPORT Phenomena
  through MEMBRANES

8

• Specialization Projects/Master Theses Membrane
  technology
• Clean technology Production and regeneration of
  carbon hollow fibre
• membranes for gas separation
• The effect of flue gas pollutants (NOx and SO2)
  on FSC (fixed-site carrier)
• membrane performance
• The effect of natural gas contaminants on FSC
  (fixed-site carrier) blend
• membrane performance and the normalization of the
  durability set-up for
• FSC membrane
• Hydrodynamical studies for a large scaled
  membrane module
• Influence of pH on salt rejection for osmotic
  membranes
• Two of the most pronounced challenges
  internationally are the demand for clean water
  and clean energy. Membrane processes are held as
  very sustainable methods to achieve this

9
Reactor modelling and experimental validation

• Modelling examples
• Secondary reformer (fixed bed)
• Methanol reactor (fixed bed and slurry)
• Dehydrogenation
• Fischer Tropsch (bubble column, multiphase
• monolite)
• Desulfurization
• Polymer reactors
• Bio-reactors
• Experimental
• Fluid bed
• Fixed bed
• Slurry reactors (Bubble columns and three
• phase reactors )
• Agitated tanks

CO2-capture pilot plant
10
Specialization projects CO2-capture and fluid
behaviour.

• The effects of HF and SO2 on MEA and ammonia
  solvents
• VLE for the CO2-MEA system at different
  concentration of MEA
• CO2 absorpsjon Kinetikkmålinger
• CO2 absorpsjon Likevektsmålinger for uladete
  systemer.
• Task 1- 2D Droplet-droplet study at different
  pressures studied using a high resolution model
  at the NJORD supercomputer
• Acquiring droplet distribution from high pressure
  jet atomization
• Experimental Measurement of Interfacial Tension
  by Using Pendant Drop Technique
• Experimental Characterization of Gas scrubbers
• Characterization of the entrainment fraction for
  gas-liquid systems

11
Crystallization and particle design

• Specialization Projects/Master Theses
• Size-enlargement of carbonate particles from
  natural gas production lines by alginate
• assisted agglomeration
• CO2-capture in carbonate solutions in a
  lab-scale absorber with simultaneous
  precipitation
• Spherulitic growth of crystals in solution
• Crystallization of two polymorphs in the
  production of a contrast agent compound.